A man from Cincinnati is facing heartbreak after his car was stolen this week — with both his late wife’s ashes and his dog still inside.
James Lamb told Fox 19 that he had stopped at a store to get change and accidentally left his keys in the car. When he quickly went back outside, he realized his vehicle was gone.
Lamb explained that since he doesn’t have a permanent home, he often sleeps in his car. That night, he was trying to get enough money for a hotel room. But what hurt the most, he said, was losing his late wife Amy’s ashes and their small French bulldog, Dobby.
“There’s not many things I have anymore,” Lamb told Fox 19.
Amy passed away in 2022 after having a heart attack while Lamb was driving her to the emergency room, according to Fox 19.
Lamb’s friend, Chassidy Calvert, set up a GoFundMe to support him and his three children. The fundraiser hopes to give the family “a fresh start” after Amy’s death and now this theft, which police say happened on Monday afternoon.
“Other than my kids, he’s the most important thing I have,” Lamb said of his dog Dobby to Fox 19. “It was the last thing I had got my wife before she passed.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage, and stories of unsolved cases.
By Thursday, Lamb finally received some good news. A local animal shelter shared on Instagram that a small French bulldog had been found tied to a pole and abandoned.
“It is Dobby!” Calvert wrote in an update on GoFundMe. “The vet said he was severely overheated, but they saved him with an emergency procedure. He did have complications, but we’re staying hopeful.”
The vet also microchipped Dobby to help prevent future loss. Dobby has now been reunited with Lamb. “James feels blessed,” Calvert shared.
On Instagram, the shelter described the reunion as “pure joy,” saying Dobby had been through a “whirlwind” but was now safe with his owner, according to Fox 19.
As of Friday, Lamb’s car and Amy’s ashes are still missing. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Union Township police department.
